So the countdown has officially began! 12 weeks and I will be seeing my beautiful best friend walk down the aisle and marry the man of her dreams.
Sorry if the title caught you out a little, unfortunately this isn't my own wedding. You will all be the third people to know when the time comes and plus by now I would have documented every bit of the process with endless wedding posts, wedding tweets and Instagram pictures.
A few weekends ago, myself, the bride and the other bridesmaids went to visit the venue. We had seen pictures and I had been on their website and spoken to staff members there already but to actually be there and see where we would be on the day made it begin to feel very real, my best friend was actually getting married!!
(I wish I had taken pictures whilst there but got caught up in the moment looking around that I completely forgot but I will be doing a blog post on the wedding and there will be lots of pictures then)
So the venue....
A Luxury Golf & Spa Hotel set in 400 acres of Hampshire countyside, Old Thorns Manor is truly picturesque. It has a very unique style, being old but modern with the beams but contemporary theme. You instantly get a warm inviting feel from the hotel and the staff are very accommodating.
We were all very excited to see where the actual ceremony will take place, and it didn't disappoint. The Chapel has recently just been finished and it has a very intimate feel with the wood decor, red carpet aisle and size (not too big nor small).
Next onto the main room for the day/evening...the ballroom. This has the wow factor! Big and grand with amazing contemporary decor, you could say in the style of the great Gatsby. You instantly know that this is the place for a great party.
Where we will be sleeping...
Next on the agenda was seeing just where we would be staying the night before and getting ready the day of the wedding. Now I had organised this so had seen pictures but again being there made us all very excited and you can imagine the day slightly better. With the Bride plus 4 Bridemaid's (plus 1 little flower girl) and the mother of the bride to get ready we needed room, and lots of it! After speaking to the hotel about this and what would be best It was decided that we would skip having a family room and go straight into the 'The Surrey Apartment'.
Having now seen the Apartment I would highly recommend this to anyone getting married at the venue. This Apartment gives you plenty of space for the day of the wedding, especially if like us you're having hair and makeup professionally done.
The large dining table would enable the hairdresser and makeup artist to have everything spread out for ease. With floor to ceiling windows you are able to have natural light, which is great for when your makeup is applied.
Whilst that is being done at the table you still have the seated lounge area to relax, laugh, drink some bubbles and have breakfast. Plenty of space for 5 people easily.
There is also a large island in the kitchen area for flowers and anything else delicate to be placed away from everybody getting ready.
So in 12 weeks time we will be making our way to the hotel for a relaxed day enjoying the facilities on offer. This is most likely where you will find us all day, having a stress free girly. We have already discussed between us which Spa treatments we will treat ourselves too!
Hair and Makeup....
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| On another one of the bridesmaids, minus the sparkly hair pins we are having in it. |
The weekend just gone we all had our hair and makeup trials and got to try on the bridesmaid dresses (again) but this time all fully altered and ready for the big day.
We picked a style that we all liked for the hair and away she went, curling, pinning and suddenly all done. 50 pins later we have our hair up and styled and we all love it.
Next makeup, my favourite! It was decided Natural but with a pop of colour to the eyes. The makeup artist was using a brand I had never heard of before Jane Iredale so of course I was asking loads of questions "whats that, whats this, whats it good for, how long does it last". I'm a little particular with makeup brands so if anyone has used this brand or know of anyone that uses it please comment what you think of it.
The bride also had her hair and makeup done and from somebody that doesn't usually wear a lot of makeup she looked beautiful and I think she felt it from her smile and confidence. She's usually a girl that doesn't like attention on her but after having her hair and makeup done and seeing her happy and smiling and looking in the mirror I know she will have no worries about being centre of attention on the day.
The Hen...
This was done a little last minute ill admit but after a weekend of talking to the other bridesmaids and a few email enquires later it was booked. 5 weeks and we shall be enjoying a weekend away (even more for me having a toddler free weekend!).We are using a company called Chillisauce and I couldn't fault them. Some companies I found to be a little pushy calling/emailing every day to find out what I thought of the price and still now have the occasion email.
So with Chillisauce they set up a page for you. You can provide them with email addresses for all the attendees who they will email with a link to the page which enables them to pay their share. This takes the stress away from the main organiser collecting the money in.
As for the company they cover so many places, both UK and Abroad with lots of activities! There is surely to be something that you can find to do.
The next few weeks I know will fly by and in no time we will be making our way to the venue. I will be taking pictures the day before/day of the wedding so be sure to follow me on Instagram if your not already.
If you've been a Bridesmaid I would love to hear of anything you did for the Bride the day before/day of the wedding by commenting below.
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